Rani-ki-Vav steps closer to heritage glory

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on Saturday informed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that a team from Unesco will conduct a final site visit of the Rani-ki-Vav stepwell in Patan anytime in the coming two months before deciding to give the final confirmation. If the stepwell makes it to the list, it will be the second member from Gujarat in Unesco's world heritage list, following the Champaner-Pavagadh monuments built by Mehmud Begada.

On Friday, ICOMOS-India declared that the six forts of Rajasthan--Gangaur, Amber, Chittaur, Ranthambhor, Kumbhalgarh and Jaisalmer--have been added to the Unesco World Heritage List. This decision was made at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Cambodia.

The other contender along with the Rajasthan forts for the renowned list was the Qutb Shahi Monument of Hyderabad and the Rani-ki-Vav stepwell in Patan. The Unesco team will come to Gujarat to see the site and confirm their opinion on the stepwell. "Normally, UNESCO gives the prestigious status to only two sites in a country. We all have fingers crossed as the Unesco team is strict during inspections and may dash our hopes during the site visit. But we are confident that our restoration efforts and the beauty of the vav will be noticeable," says a senior ASI official.

The Rani-ki-Vav stepwell had made it to the tentative list in August 1998 and has since been protected by the ASI. It is situated about 2 km northwest of the Patan district. It is the most magnificent stepwell in Gujarat, built during the 11-12th century. A stepped corridor with pillared multi-storeyed pavilions at regular intervals is one of its unique features. The four pavilions which demarcate the stages along the descent have multiple storeys: two, four, six and seven, respectively. Sculptures of deities and other images adorn the walls flanking the staircase. Nearly four hundred niches on the walls display ornate images, making for a matchless display of architecture.